Jerome Lyle Rappaport
A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (July 2017) |
Jerome Lyle Rappaport | |
---|---|
Born | New York City, U.S. | August 17, 1927
Died | December 6, 2021 Lincoln, Massachusetts, U.S. | (aged 94)
Alma mater | Harvard College (1947)
Harvard Law School (1949) John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, MPA (1963) |
Occupation(s) | Developer, Lawyer, Philanthropist |
Known for | Rebuilding Boston's West End, philanthropic efforts, contributions to public policy in Boston as well as City of Boston election process. |
Political party | Republican |
Board member of | Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Cure Alzheimer's Fund, Dean's Council (Harvard University), Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital, New Boston Fund, Inc., Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation (Donor and Board Member), Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College Law School, Rappaport Center at Temple Beit HaYam, Rappaport Institute of Greater Boston at Harvard Kennedy School of Government |
Spouse | Phyllis Cohen Rappaport (Present)
Barbara Scott Sears (Divorced) Nancy Vahey (Divorced) |
Parent(s) | Arthur and Cora Rappaport |
Relatives | Sandra Sommer (sister) |
Website | rappaportfoundation.org |
Jerome Lyle Rappaport (August 17, 1927 – December 6, 2021) was an American lawyer, developer, political leader, and landlord. Rappaport is also known for his philanthropy in Boston, Massachusetts, and Stuart, Florida. He was the general partner of one of the most controversial developments of the urban renewal era, the West End Project, from which he created a 48-acre urban neighborhood known as Charles River Park.[1]
Early life and politics
Rappaport, born and raised in the
Rappaport entered Harvard University at 16 years of age and received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degree in 1949, when he was 21. He earned a Master of Public Administration from the Littauer School (today the Harvard Kennedy School) in 1963.[5]
As a student, Rappaport founded the Harvard Law School Forum, which was originally dedicated to the memory of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and 102 other Harvard Law School graduates and former students on leave who had died in World War II. The Forum's Friday evening radio broadcasts on WHDH in 1946 garnered positive press and inspired the participation of Harvard's then-president, law school dean, faculty members, and students.[6]
The Harvard Law School Forum Inaugural event was held on March 8, 1946, "War Crime Trials" (Revolution in legal theory or law enforcement?).[7] “Unrest Within the Democratic Party” (Eleanor Roosevelt and others) – May 1, 1961- Part I, Part II;[8] Martin Luther King, Jr., “The Future of Integration[9]” (October 24, 1962 – Part I, Part II); Other famous Forum speakers have included President John F. Kennedy, President Jimmy Carter, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, and Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
In the early 1950s, Rappaport quickly emerged as one of Boston's best-known political leaders.[10] The peak occurred when Rappaport succeeded Congressman John F. Kennedy in receiving the Massachusetts Jaycees "Distinguished Service" award as Massachusetts' most Outstanding Young Leader for 1952.[11] Kennedy's award was one of many steppingstones on the road to his becoming a United States Senator. Rappaport's acceptance speech in January 1953 was mostly geared towards inspiring wealthier and more seasoned local businessmen to invest everything they could in Boston's then-languishing economic development program, and "to give more time, energy, and thought to community affairs."[12]
Prior to that his efforts helped
During this period Rappaport also worked in the John Hynes Administration, established a private law office, and taught a political science class at Boston University.[17] He earned public praise for creating the short-lived Greater Boston Area Council (GBAC), which indirectly led to the creation of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Greater Boston's first public television station, WGBH-TV Channel 2.[18]
Urban renewal
Less than two years after the NBC and GBAC disbanded during the summer of 1954, Rappaport, Seon Pierre Bonan (a Connecticut and New York City-based developer) and Theodore Shoolman (Boston Realtor whose late father had built
In early 1977, Rappaport was approached by Thomas O'Neill III, then Massachusetts lieutenant governor and the son of U.S. House Speaker "Tip" O'Neill, a friend of Rappaport's, to be part of a group to "Help Cuba become more democratized". Rappaport had met Castro in 1959, when the Cuban leader spoke at the Harvard Law Forum, which Rappaport had founded a decade before. Rappaport and his wife, Phyllis, met and talked with Castro and discussed the many housing projects in Cuba. Rappaport and the group accompanying him toured local schools, restaurants and neighborhoods.[20]
Personal life, family and legacy
Rappaport was married three times. His first marriage to Nancy Vahey produced six children: Martha, Amy, Judy, James "Jim", Jerry Jr., and Nancy. In 1963, Nancy Vahey Rappaport[21] committed suicide after a two-year custody battle where she tirelessly sought custody for her six children. Rappaport's second marriage was to Barbara Scott Sears. Barbara had three children from her previous marriage to Dick Sears: Rappaport was highly involved in their upbringing and often refers to them as his children. Together Rappaport and Barbara had two children of their own. The marriage ended in divorce after 10 years.[22][23] His third and final marriage was to Phyllis Rappaport, who is twenty years his junior. Her previous marriage was to a man with the same surname pronunciation, but spelled - Rapaport. Phyllis has two children.[24][25] Together, Rappaport and Phyllis have no children.
In 2006, Boston Magazine named Rappaport the 45th wealthiest Bostonian, with a net worth of about $300 million. It also named the Rappaport family Boston's seventh most influential family.[26]
Rappaport donated his former eight bedroom
Rappaport has been commended publicly and received lifetime achievement awards from the American Jewish Committee and Greater Boston Real Estate Board for being an accomplished real estate pioneer and industry leader, a generous philanthropist, and one of the principal architects of the New Boston. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Suffolk University in 1998, for "his career of outstanding accomplishments and public service and for his role in reshaping the city's West End neighborhood."[27]
His reputation has also been negatively impacted by a chorus of scholarly and non-scholarly opinions about urban renewal and, in particular, his signature development which resulted from the City of Boston's decision to
Today, urban planning students are asked to consider if the positive value of the Charles River Park development—consisting of 2,300 units of skyscraper housing, 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) of retail and office space, 3,400 parking spaces, and an affordable housing building for senior citizens—is outweighed by the destruction of the old West End, and the negative experiences of many whom the City evicted prior to this seminal political, economic and urban planning event.[28]
On Rappaport's 88th birthday in 2015, Boston City Council declared that August 15 will be known as "Jerry Rappaport Day." Rappaport was presented a street sign "Rappaport Way" which will be the new name of a street in Boston's West End. Hundreds attended the party at the Four Seasons hotel in Boston to honor Rappaport and his life.
Rappaport died at his home in Lincoln, Massachusetts, on December 6, 2021.[29][30]
Philanthropy
In 1997 Rappaport and his wife established the Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation.[31] It has since donated more than $30 million to efforts focusing on public policy, health, and the arts.[32] The bulk of the money has gone to the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard Kennedy School and the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy at Boston College Law School.[33] Rappaport's wife, Phyllis, chairs the foundation. Rappaport's two grandsons, James Rappaport Jr., and Diego Arambula, along with stepson, Jonathan Rapaport, serve on the board.[34]
In 1993, Rappaport and other members of the community came together and donated funds to build a Jewish temple in Martin County, Florida. Temple Beit HaYam opened September 1993.[35]
In 1993, along with two of his sons and wife, Phyllis, Rappaport founded the New Boston Fund.[36] Headquartered in Boston, New Boston Fund had grown to include fully staffed regional investment offices in the Washington, D.C. area and Florida. The firm's investment activity totaled more than 23 million square feet of commercial real estate and more than 7,500 residential units.[37] The office space was designed by Architect Colin Flavin. Flavin is married to Rappaport's daughter, Nancy.[38]
The Rappaports are donors to
In 2000 Rappaport and his wife Phyllis funded the Rappaport Prize at the
In 2004, Rappaport and his wife, Phyllis, along with co-founders Henry McCance, Jacqui and Jeffrey Morby, co-founded the Cure Alzheimer's Fund.[41][42] Cure Alzheimer's Fund is one of the leading Alzheimer's research foundations in the United States. All organizational expenses are paid for by the Founders and the other Board members by allowing all other contributions to be applied directly to Alzheimer's Disease research.[43]
Rappaport and his wife are supporters and contributors to the Martin County Library System, and Martin Health System in Stuart, Florida.[44][45]
Rappaport was also a supporter and donor to the Atlantic Classical Orchestra in Florida. Rappaport served as chairman of the board of directors from 2013 until 2017. In 2013, ACO was awarded the Rappaport Prize for music composition. The prize is given annually to individuals whose work in public policy, the arts, and science is exceptional. The prize for music composition is $100,000.[46] Works that have been commissioned as a result of the Prize are as follows: For the inaugural year (2014) there were 2 commissioned works: Commission I - Garth Neustadter; Commission II - Jeffrey Parola; Violin Concerto, "The Infinite Dance" by the Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian and performed by Caroline Goulding (2014-2015);[47] Concerto for Piano, "The Oneiroi in New York," by Conrad Tao (2016-2017).[48] The final Prize was awarded during the 2017–2018 season to Hannah Lash. Hannah Lash world premiered "Facets of Motion" in April 2018.[49][50]
In 2014, The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy moved to Boston College Law School from Suffolk University as a result of a $7.53 million gift from the Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation. The gift was the largest in the 85-year history of BC Law and funded the Rappaport Center and the Jerome Lyle Rappaport Visiting Professorship in Law and Public Policy at BC Law.[51]
References
- ^ "West End Won't Be Waterloo". Boston Herald, September 15, 2003.
- ^ "Controversy is Rappaport's Middle Name". The Boston Globe, April 11, 1990.
- ^ Zaimarie De Guzman. "Sewall's Point philanthropist spreads wealth, influence on Treasure Coast". TC Palm, June 24, 2013.
- ^ 1938 WHN Radio - Quiz Kids Photo - Rappaport second from right.
- ^ "Rappaport Gets Housing Post". The Boston Globe, October 26, 1982.
- ^ See HLS Forum website at www.law.harvard.edu/students/orgs/forum/index.html. See also "The Forum as an Adjunct of Legal education". Journal of the American Bar Association, March 8, 1946; and an article about Rappaport in the Boston Sunday Herald, February 6, 1949.
- ^ "Forum Speakers". The Harvard Law School Forum. March 1, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "Harvard Law Forum". YouTube. 1961.
- ^ "Harvard Law School Forum".
- ^ "A Young Fresh Wind Blows in Boston Town," Reader's Digest, April 1952. See also "Youth Wins Against Misrule," Redbook Magazine, March 1952; and "New Boston Committee Plunges into Long-Range Plans to Consolidate Election Victories—Rapped by opponents—Widespread Program—Grassroots Effort—Credit to Rappaport—No Rosy Path," Christian Science Monitor, November 7, 1951.
- ^ "11 Jan 1952, 13 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Boston's Businessmen Prodded By Rappaport." Christian Science Monitor, January 17, 1953.
- ^ New York Times, September 27, 1951. See also, Time Magazine, October 8, 1951.
- ^ "24 Jan 1952, 8 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ Boston Herald, October 3, 1951. See also New York Times, October 7, 1951.
- ^ "I'd Do It Again," by James Michael Curley. Prentiss-Hall (1957).
- ^ Boston University News, February 12, 1952.
- ^ Boston Sunday Globe, October 11, 1953. See also South End Citizen, November 25, 1952.
- ^ Boston Globe, July 30, 1970.
- ^ "Gil Smart: After Obama's Cuba visit, local man recalls 1977 trip and wonders 'What if?'". Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "17 Sep 1963, 1 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com". Boston Globe.
- ^ "Sewall's Point philanthropist spreads wealth, influence on Treasure Coast". Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0465022137.
- ^ "Sewall's Point philanthropist spreads wealth, influence on Treasure Coast". Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Schenectady Gazette" (PDF).
- ^ "Sewall's Point philanthropist spreads wealth, influence on Treasure Coast". Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ New England Real Estate Journal, June 12, 1998.
- ^ "West End Won't Be Waterloo." Boston Herald, September 15, 2003.
- ^ "Stuart's Jerome Rappaport celebrates birthday in Boston". Retrieved July 15, 2017.
- ^ "Developer Jerry Rappaport celebrates 88th birthday with friends - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ See http://www.rappaportfoundation.org/
- ^ "Going Beyond Alma mater, Rappaport boosts Suffolk." Boston Globe, December 10, 2006. See also "KSG Gets $12 Million To Study Boston." Harvard Crimson, June 30, 2006.
- ^ See [1]; [2]; and [3].
- ^ "Board | PJLRF". rappaportfoundation.org. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Sewall's Point philanthropist spreads wealth, influence on Treasure Coast". Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ "New Boston Fund, Inc. - Executive Team". www.newbostonfund.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "New Boston Fund, Inc. - History". www.newbostonfund.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "New Boston Fund Headquarters | Flavin Architects". www.flavinarchitects.com. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ Mirror, The Inquirer and. "Seen on the Scene: 2015 Boston Pops on Nantucket". The Inquirer and Mirror. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "The Rappaport Prize".
- ^ Fund, Cure Alzheimer's (June 8, 2012), Cure Alzheimer's Fund Founding Board Member Phyllis Rappaport, retrieved June 10, 2017
- ^ "Phyllis Rappaport". Cure Alzheimer's Fund. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
- ^ "Charity Navigator".
- ^ "Women in Philanthropy". www.martinhealth.org. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Library Foundation fetes BookMania! authors". TCPalm. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "The Rappaport Prize for Music Composition - Atlantic Classical Orchestra". Atlantic Classical Orchestra. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
- ^ "Violin Concerto". zhou tian music.
- ^ "Palm Beach Newspaper".
- ^ "Composer Lash readies for ACO world premiere". Palm Beach Newspaper. April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Facets of Motion". Schott Music.
- ^ "Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy". December 14, 2014.